Kyros ran the blade of his dagger across the crisp white sheet covering the mattress, leaving steaks of red behind. He sheathed the weapon before stepping away from the dead body lying crumbled at his feet in a small pool of blood. Slow, easy steps took him to the dresser. Carefully, he searched each drawer, a tight smile springing to his mouth when he found a small pouch filled with enough coins to feed him for a couple of weeks. Hopefully, he'd find another job before he ran out of money again.
After securing the pouch to the belt at his waist, Kyros paused by the liquor cart he'd found to pour a glass of aged brandy. As he sipped the strong liquor his strange, feline eyes stared at the man he'd murdered only moments ago. Ky had waited for this moment for nearly a month, ever since he inadvertently discovered that Angus Hayworth was the leader of a group of slavers that operated out of the city of Yendis. His last job as a bartender in The Crow's Nest Inn made him privy to a lot of information. Liquor loosened the lips of all the dockworkers that frequented the place. He had them to thank for finding out about Hayworth's occupation and that the man always spent one week out of every month at his cabin several miles out of the city, fishing and hunting for game.
It had been a simple matter to learn exactly when Hayworth was planning his next little vacation. Ky quit his job the day before, and spent the night just outside the city gates with his horse grazing nearby. Years of hunting down slavers, evil mages, and vivisectionists made him quite proficient at following without being detected. Patiently he waited, biding his time by whittling away at a chuck of wood until he saw Hayworth's horse carry him from the city.
Later that evening he came upon the cabin sequestered in a small clearing near a stream in the forest. Kyros let his prey enjoy a peaceful night's sleep and watched from a distance the following morning while he set traps for game and fished from the crystal clear stream. A few minutes after Angus entered his cabin carrying his pole and a bucket full of fish Kyros saw the man's shadow playing on the drapes of a window far from the door. He crept inside, hugging the walls until he came upon the open door to a bedroom. When Angus bent down to unlace his boots, Ky rushed towards him at inhuman speed, slicing open his throat from ear to ear.
Ky closed his eyes, savoring the memory of killing such a no good bastard for a moment before draining the rest of his drink. He moved to the kitchen and wrapped a few of the fish in some brown paper he found. At least he wouldn't have to hunt for his dinner tonight. Whistling, he hurried outside then froze on his way to his horse when he heard a shout sound from the distance. Curiosity pulled at him.
He took his horse's reins in hand and led it forward, carefully avoiding the traps he'd seen Hayworth set earlier. His eyes widened in surprise when he came upon a small group of people making camp in a small clearing not far from the slaver's cabin. He stayed hidden behind the trees observing them for a time. At first he had trouble understanding why a blonde seemed to be rooted to the spot until he realized he was, in fact, rooted to the spot by several vines wrapped around his legs.
His eyes moved to a very pretty girl whose skin consisted of stripes made up of dark and light flesh tones. As he studied her more closely, a youth with horns popping out from his head burst into the clearing carrying a bunch of flowers to a man with snow white hair.
"I've found the Angelica and Wifurwif," a female voice shouted.
Ky watched the girl, who looked more like a street urchin, rush up to the white haired man, then he turned his attention to another man dragging a very strange looking boy by the arm. They stopped before the white haired man as well. Needless to say, the proceedings piqued Ky's curiosity further. Fear might have prevented another man from showing himself but Kyros lost the ability to feel fear long ago.
He stepped into the clearing, his dark and light colored long hair blowing around his face wildly in the evening breeze. "Greetings. Would you allow a fellow traveler to share your camp? If so, I'd be willing to share the fish I caught in the steam." He stood perfectly still while they looked him over, no doubt trying to determine if he intended them any harm. A charming smile crossed his mouth. "I'm a simple wanderer, not a bandit or an assassin who plans to murder you all in your sleep. My name is Kyros Hunter."